Shoe construction



March-22,1938. I N. B. SMITH 2,112,052

SHOE CONSTRUCTION Filed Sept. 28, 1934 Patented Mar. 22, 1938 UNITED STATES- anacsz PATENT oFri-ca SHOE CONSTRUCTION Norman B. Smith,P rvidence, R. I. Application September 28, 1934, Serial No. 745,886

1 Claim; (01. 362.5)

My present invention relates to shoe constructions, and has particular reference to a novel arrangement for adjusting the size thereof.

, My invention is particularly applicable to shoes 5 and slippers suitable for assisting the trying on of gowns and dresses. It has been found that selection of evening gowns and other expensive dresses is hampered if the prospective purchaser is not equipped with footwear suitable for the try-on. Thus, an evening gown is best displayed when the wearer has evening slippers; but gowns are usually selected in the day time when the prospective purchaser is wearing street shoes.

Although models may be used to display the .5,: gowns, such display is illustrative only, and a prospective purchaser is therefore often permitted towear the models shoes during the try-onj but this procedure is disadvantageous because the shoes are uncomfortable unless they are of the proper size, and thus detract the purchasers attention from the appearance of the gown itself.

It is the principal object of my invention to provide a slipper or shoe which can be adjusted to fit the foot of a prospective purchaser, whereby the prospective purchaser can better judge the appearance of a gown becauseshe .is.

wearing the proper shoe for that gown.- Moreover, since the different materials and colors of gowns require a number of shoes to permit suitable matching, it is a further object of my invention to provide a construction which will permit different shoe tips to be used, whereby any desired type of shoe may be readily asv sembled from a comparatively small stock of shoe parts.

Shoes of the described adjustable and interchangeable type may also be utilized for other purposes than for trying on gowns, as for ex- 0 ample for week-end visits, or to decrease the number of shoes'required for a stock company or a chorus; such shoes are subject to hard wear, and require a positive lock against accidental movement or separation of the parts.

45 It is a further object of my invention to provide an adjustment which is positively locked in selected position, to eliminate all danger of accidental relative movement of the shoe parts.

With the above and other objects and advan- 50 tageous features in view, my invention consists of a novel arrangement of parts more fully disclosed in the detailed description following, in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, and more specifically defined in the claim appended 55 thereto.

In the drawing: v

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an assembled shoe embodying the novel construction;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the separable parts in extended'relation, the 5 interchangeable shoe tip being of difie'renttype;

Fig. 3 is a perspective detailed View showing the adjustment mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a section showing a modified form of adjustment mechanism; and 10 Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the parts assembled in Fig. 4 in extended relation.

I have found it practical to construct a shoe with the toe part and the heel part relatively adjustable so as to permit the user to lengthen l5 and shorten the shoe as desired, the adjusting parts being arranged to positively lock the shoe at a predetermined size. To this end, I utilize a clamp lever which cooperates with a series of spaced slots on a metal tongue forming part of the shoe tip portion, the lever selectively engaging any desired slot and being restrained when in locked position against accidental dis placement, whereby the size of the shoe may be positively maintained as adjusted. Moreover, I have provided an alternative arrangement in which the working parts are entirely concealed, whereby the shoe does not differ in appearance from an ordinary shoe of the same character. The use of a metal adjusting mechanism pos- 30 sesses a further advantage in that the arch support is very strong and rigid and better supports the arch of the wearer during use.

Referring morespecifically to the drawing, a typical shoe is shown in Fig. 1, the evening slipper 10 comprising a heel portion H and a toe portion l2. The heel portion has a plate It secured therein, as by rivets, comprising two side channels I4, l5, the plate having a slot I6 and two spaced struck-up portions H, H! which func- 40 tion as pivot ears for pivotally receiving the hinge portion I9 of a clamp lever 20, the hinge assembly being completed by means of a hinge pin 2 l. The lever 20 has an upstanding lock bar 22, see Fig. 2, which is adapted to selectively engage any one of a series of transverse slots 23 formed in an arch support member 24 which is riveted or otherwise secured to the base of the toe portion W, the support member 2d being slidably engageable with the plate 13 and closely contacting the channels 14 and I5 so as to prevent relative lateral movement. When the lever 20 is turned so that the lock bar 22 passes upwardly through the slot E6 to engage a selected slot 20, the sides of the lever 20 pass over snaps 25, 25 formed in the depending sections H and I8, whereby the clamp lever is releasably retained to keep the lock bar 22 in locked position in a selected slot 23.

This construction possesses the advantage of permitting selective adjustment of the length of the shoe, and of retaining the adjusted shoe in set position; the adjustment is very quickly made, and can be readily released to permit a change in the length or to change the toe of the shoe, whereby different types of toes, having different materials and different colors, may be readily substituted to match any gown. A flap 21, see Fig. 2, which is part of the tread of the tip portion, is used to conceal the adjusting mechanism.

The adjustable type shoe has many advantages in addition to the try-on use; it may be used on week-end trips, as it is feasible to include a number of toe portions which are interchangeably attachable to a heel portion of neutral form or color; or a small set of shoe heels and toes may meet the shoe requirements for a stock company or a chorus.

I have devised a modified construction in which the operating mechanism is entirely concealed from view, this modified construction being disclosed in Figs. 4 and 5, in which the base plate 28 is as before riveted or otherwise secured to the heel section, and has two side channel members 29, 30 and an upstanding hub section 3| for receiving the hub section 32 of a gear 33 provided with a non-circular, preferably square, opening 34. The gear hub 32 is preferably mounted over the hub 3| before the channel sections are bent over, but the parts may, if desired, be modified to permit removal; an arch support member 35 is secured to the toe portion and is provided with an elongated slot 36, the hub 32 being positioned in the slot 36 before the channel sections are closed over. The arch support 35 is provided with a rack 31 which is engageable with the teeth of the gear 33; in adjusting the length of the shoe, a square key such as indicated at 38 is inserted through the hub 3| so as to enter the square opening 34, whereupon the gear may be turned to move the rack 31 and therefore the arch support member 35 in either direction. Accidental displacement of the set adjustment is prevented by using a lock such as a spring member 39 which is mounted at one end on the base of the plate 28, the other end being freely movable to seat in any gear space; the resistance of the spring 29 is sufficient to lock the gear 33,

and thus prevent accidental shifting or movement of the rack 31. If desired, the spring 29 may be made weaker, thus permitting ratcheting of the gear and rack for obtaining quick adjustment.

It is thus evident that the improved arrangement provides an adjustable shoe which may be set for any desired length adjustment, and which permits the use of interchangeable shoe tips; the novel shoe is readily changed to fit the feet of a prospective purchaser of gowns, thus facilitating selection of gowns, and the construction permits the use of different interchangeable toes, whereby very few shoe parts are needed to complete a shoe wardrobe when traveling. Moreover, the combination of interchangeable toes and a lock adjustment for length provides a shoe construction which is very suitable for a stock company, a chorus or any other assembly requiring many changes of shoes.

Instead of using gear and rack means, a ratchet arrangement such as is utilized in bracelets may be used; for example, a channel member may be fastened to the heel portion, having spaced slots, and a slide member slidable in the channel member may be fastened to the toe portion, having a spring tooth selectively engageable with the spaced slots, and having a manually engageable part for releasing the spring tooth from the slots, the spring tooth being preferably cut away so as to ratchet over the slots to shorten the shoe, although it may be formed to act as a lock element without a ratcheting function.

While I have described a specific constructional embodiment of my invention, it is obvious that desired changes in the shape and material of the parts and in their relative arrangement, may be made to suit the requirements of different shoe designers and users, within the spirit and the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

I claim:

In a shoe construction, a heel portion having a plate member, a toe portion having a plate member, means for retaining said plate members in contiguous slidable relation, said toe plate member having a series of transverse slots therein, said heel plate member having a lock lever adapted to selectively engage said slots, and means for retaining said lock lever in slot engaging position.

NORMAN B. SMITH. 

